


The Fall and the Rise

by TheAlmightyResonance



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien learns that being bi is cool actually, Adrien learns to move on and open his heart to something new, Asexual representation, Chat Blanc is here and you know that means lots of angst, Fluff and Angst, Hurt and comfort, Luka is the least oblivious in the Miraculous group, M/M, Mentions of Death, Set After Season 3, bisexual representation because this fandom for some reason pretends it isn't a thing and it's weird, but the only character bashing is of Hawk Moth being an awful man and an even worse father, criticisms of certain characters, fast paced because of plot, lukadrien, many mentions of Adrien's mother so be warned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29348049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAlmightyResonance/pseuds/TheAlmightyResonance
Summary: Luka, while on a night patrol of Paris as Viperion, discovers a dark secret concerning Adrien. Unable to reach the other Miraculous holders for back up, Viperion is left vulnerable, and with knowledge that could change his and his friends’ lives for good.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine
Comments: 4
Kudos: 76





	1. The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> I’m very rusty with writing, and it definitely shows as I found it hard to get a flow going, but I hope y’all enjoy this anyway! We need more Lukadrien fics, so I had to write one myself! Too fast-paced for my liking, and lacking in description, and very dialogue-heavy, but I have no energy for writing longer fics and rewrites, so I hope you love this mess anyway!
> 
> Spoilers for season 3!

A blank world, void of life. This is how it ends. This is how it always ends. Keep a dark secret long enough and it will grow until it consumes all. Morals, feelings, people…hearts. But the end of it all had a humble beginning. No one wanted the end result.

Time to hit reverse.

Before the fall of Paris.

Back to when all that mattered was two boys discovering that perhaps moving on from old flames wasn’t so bad after all.

*

They had been patrolling Paris all night, but thankfully no new villains had been created. So Paris could rest easy and the citizens could sleep well as the holders of the Miraculous made their rounds.

Chat Noir had been paired up with Viperion, which was starting to become common on quiet nights like these. As Queen Bee loved hogging Ladybug all to herself (against Ladybug’s wishes, but even she begrudgingly sometimes admitted that Queen Bee was a great asset to the team when given the chance to truly shine, and some tutoring), and Chat Noir enjoyed his talks with Viperion, who he knew was Luka. It felt no different than talking to Luka, except that Chat Noir had to pretend that he wasn’t Adrien. Oh boy was being a superhero hard sometimes, when all he wanted to do was share his secret with all of his friends.

“I tried to give her this rose, but she got angry at me,” Chat Noir said with a sigh as he lounged about on the roof they had stationed themselves on. He twirled the red rose between his claws, glad to have removed the thorns out of paranoia of Ladybug accidently hurting herself when she accepted the gift (and all that effort had been for nothing). “Red roses don’t just mean love, you know? Sometimes a rose is merely a rose! And I love all my friends, not just my lady!”

Viperion strummed at his lyre, humming thoughtfully as he sat by where Chat Noir had settled down. “Red roses _do_ symbolise romance. Everyone knows that.”

“Yeah but I’m telling you that sometimes a flower is just a flower! And Ladybug has a red costume, so red roses suit her well, and I couldn’t have given her a black rose.”

“Except that she also knows that _you know_ the symbolism of a red rose, and therefore she knew your intent. Besides, black roses can mean awful things, but they can mean the opposite too. They can mean death and mourning, but also change and new beginnings. So a black rose wouldn’t have been so bad.”

“Huh… I didn’t actually know that. If she gave me a black rose then I would have been insulted, but I guess I don’t know everything about the language of flowers.”

“Or the language of romance…”

“Hey!” Chat Noir exclaimed, leaping up and jokingly swiping at Viperion. “I’m an expert in romance!”

“Oh really?” Viperion asked, as he snatched the red rose with his free hand, as fast as snake strike. He twirled it in his hand before shrugging. “Well, it’s fine not to be an expert. We’re all still young and I’m not much better.”

“Really? _You?_ ” Because Luka had always seemed so mellow and so good at everything. So free, and hadn’t grown up in a large but lonely house. It seemed impossible for Luka to not be great at romance. Nothing about his image was fake, and girls seemed to really adore him. “But you seem so…”

“Honestly I never really know what or who I want. If someone wants me then that’s great, and I’ll be more than happy to date them if they asked. As long as they’re sweet and nice, of course. That’s all that matters.”

“But correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t you be considering your feelings as well? It sounds like you wouldn’t deny someone, even if you don’t love them.”

Viperion shrugged. “As long as they’re happy, then that’s enough for me. Even if…they love someone else more. I won’t be jealous.”

Chat Noir sat down next to him, seriously concerned. “But what about _you?_ Who do you love?”

“I…don’t know.” Viperion looked out towards the city, a sad smile on his face. “Is it weird to get happiness out of making others happy? I guess it is. But that’s the truth. I don’t really know how to just do things for myself. Especially if it’d make someone else sad. It doesn’t feel like I can. What if I date someone and someone else loves them more than I ever could? So there’s no reason to want more than I’m given. And I’m ok being like this. This is how I’ve always been.”

Slowly, Chat Noir rested an arm around Viperion’s shoulders. “I don’t really know what to say, but it’s ok to do things for yourself. To be selfish sometimes. But I know that you’re not capable of that. Even if you fall for someone loved by so many other people, if you truly love them then you shouldn’t back down. Just follow your heart, but don’t hurt someone else. Argh, I probably explained it wrong, but basically just be yourself, and you’ll find someone that you’ll love, as much as they love you. Don’t settle for being someone’s second choice.”

“Huh…it’s too late for that.”

“Oh…”

“No need to look so sad, Chat. I actually broke up with her. It was a mutual thing. She loved someone else more, even while dating me. I felt so awful when it made me upset, because I should always be happy for her, but my heart couldn’t take it. I had to let her go. She’s the one that asked me out, and I guess I was an idiot for saying yes, despite knowing the truth. I…would do it again if she asked. Because I can’t stand seeing her so sad.”

“But it obviously makes you sad, so isn’t that enough of a reason to say no? Don’t make someone else happy if it threatens your own happiness. I don’t think it’s healthy, but I’m not exactly an expert on these kinds of things…”

“It’s ok, Chat. I get your point. But it’s just hard sometimes to know what to do. Whatever I do, I can’t seem to satisfy everyone and myself. I…don’t think I ever truly loved her either, and that makes me feel awful. She’s a wonderful girl, but she puts this one other guy on a pedestal, and it makes her do bad things sometimes. And those bad things upset other people. She’s even hurt my sister’s feelings. She’s so nice, but love can turn people in monsters. I never want to be like that. So it scares me to try and pursue someone who’s never loved me. Would I hurt my friends just to get my crush’s attention?”

“You wouldn’t, I _know_ you wouldn’t.”

Viperion looked to Chat and smiled. “I’m glad someone like you has faith in me. It’s funny but you kind of sound like this friend of mine…”

“Ahaha! No way! Maybe a cousin of mine?”

“Haha, sure… Well, thanks for listening to me anyway. Even if we’re meant to be patrolling.”

Chat waved a hand, “It’s no big deal, really! There’s not an Akuma in sight! Maybe if they’re invisible, buuuut— _Eep!_ ”

With tentative fingers, Viperion leaned in close to Chat Noir and placed the rose stem on his ear, behind his blond locks to keep it in place. “Maybe you should take your own advice and keep this rose for yourself. She might not love you the way you want, but all of us are a team and will always be here for you. Haha, and I’m sure the others wouldn’t turn down a rose from you. Well…Queen Bee definitely won’t accept one. Any gift not from her amazing idol Ladybug would be second best, and not worth her time.”

Chat’s face felt warm, and he leapt away from Viperion, trying to keep up his cool façade with little luck. “Oh wow, look at the time! I really gotta go because it’s a school night and I have to sleep because I have a big test tomorrow!”

Viperion stood up and didn’t seem to notice his odd behaviour. “Good night, Chat. Sweet dreams. I’ll see you again on the next patrol, and good luck on your test.”

“Yeah, you too! On your…uhh…dreams! Night!” And then without further ado, Chat Noir used his staff to escape the embarrassing situation, but he couldn’t escape his embarrassing thoughts about Luka.

Luka Couffaine, the boy that gave so much for others but wouldn’t take anything for himself. The boy that Adrien could relate to, and the boy that Adrien could be himself around in two different ways. And now the boy that he associated something new with, something scary: the idea that maybe Adrien wasn’t unlike that girl that Luka had talked about. Because he also put Ladybug on a pedestal, and that was unfair of him. He didn’t know what she was like outside of the costume, but he did know Luka. Luka acted no different as Viperion, and Adrien couldn’t say the same about Ladybug. Her civilian self could be totally different, and while Adrien could easily use the defence that his crush had no flaws, he didn’t know that for sure.

He knew Luka’s flaws, because Luka had outright admitted them to him. He also knew all of Luka’s strengths and good qualities. There had never been a single thing that Adrien had ever disliked about him. How could he? Luka wasn’t perfect, because no one was, but he was a good person who deserved to be loved rather than just used by those who didn’t truly love him.

And Adrien’s love for Ladybug had been dying down gradually. Maybe it was ok to give up and move on. To have Ladybug as Chat Noir’s best friend, rather than a girlfriend. He had always thought they _had_ to be together, because of stupid destiny, but maybe not. In TV shows the guy always gets the girl if he tried hard enough, because true love conquers all. But what if the guy doesn’t love the girl, and just loves the image of her, rather than the actual person deep down? What if the guy might start falling for…another guy?

That wasn’t allowed, was it? Adrien wasn’t allowed to be like that.

His dad wouldn’t allow it.

His dad wouldn’t allow a lot of things.

Adrien was allowed to like girls, and date them only if his father approved. He couldn’t date just any girl. And dating a guy was just…improper.

But it didn’t look improper when Marc and Nathaniel were holding hands, or Juleka and Rose. They always looked in love, and happy to embrace their true selves, not having to hide, not having to listen to what intolerant adults thought. There was nothing wrong with a guy loving, or having a crush on, another guy.

So if Adrien was left wide awake in bed, wondering if maybe Luka was fine dating guys too, then there was nothing wrong with that. Or the fact that Adrien couldn’t get the idea out of his head that Luka had given him a red rose, both knowing what it symbolised, but not caring. Even if it had been as Viperion giving the rose to Chat Noir, not Adrien, but that was a minor detail.

_Tomorrow, I’ll talk to Luka about this. Well, not about the rose thing. About if he’s ever dated guys before… But I’ll have to do it subtly. I’m not even sure if I like guys yet._

And yet, he could finally admit that yes Luka was gorgeous. He had never not been gorgeous. It was safe to say that perhaps Luka had been his possible bisexual-awakening, even though he had always tried to keep those thoughts down. But maybe he was done hiding every little aspect of himself. Maybe it was time to be defiant, and take his own advice.

*

“Kagami, this is a weird question but have you ever liked…girls?” Adrien asked after fencing practise, as the two were packing up their gear.

“Girls are very pretty, Adrien. Guys are not.”

“Hey, I’m pretty!”

“Hmm… How do I explain? Well, girls are different to guys. It’s hard to explain unless you feel it yourself.”

“Oh, so you’re bisexual then?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t had enough experience with dating to know, but I do tend to lean a bit more towards girls. Some lean more towards guys, and some lean somewhere in the middle.”

“Oh…”

“But you, Adrien, are a great guy to date. I’m sad that things never worked out between us, but I’m so happy that we remain to be friends. And why are you asking me about this? Could it be that you’re not as straight as you thought you were?”

“Maybe I’ve always known, but didn’t want to admit it. It doesn’t help that my dad is the least accepting person ever, and that he’s so strict on what TV shows I can watch. I never felt like it was ok to explore some other part of myself that he didn’t like. If he ever finds out, then maybe I’ll be locked up in the house for good.”

“Well then I’ll break down the door and rescue you, Adrien,” Kagami claimed, fierce determination on her face.

“Haha, imagine the look on his face if that happens! I’m also glad we’re friends and that it’s not awkward between us. At least I get to be your wing-man!”

“That really is a plus! But what else is troubling you? You’re not usually so clumsy during practise. Is there perhaps…a boy on your mind? You wouldn’t have asked about any of this if it was about a girl instead.”

“…You got me, Kagami! I can’t hide anything from you. There…might be a boy that I maybe have a teensy-tiny crush on.”

“Luka.”

“WHAT?!” Adrien couldn’t hide his face heating up under the ever so observant eyes of Kagami.

“That time on the boat, back when we were dating, I noticed how sweet you were around him. I didn’t say anything, but it was obvious to me that you had so much respect for him. And my respect for you bloomed into admiration and love. You always seemed so fond of him, in a different way than you are about Nino. Nino’s your best guy friend, but Luka is…different.”

Adrien was stunned silent, gobsmacked. Kagami had always been so highly observant, but the fact that she had figured out Adrien’s possible bisexuality out before even Adrien admitted to it himself was astounding. And she had never exposed it before he had been ready to talk about it. No wonder why he had once been in love with her. One day she’d find the perfect match, and someone who deserved her brilliance.

“I think Luka is a great guy to fall for, Adrien. And he is single now so…you might have a chance.”

“But what if he doesn’t like guys or doesn’t like me that way?”

“Then that’s perfectly ok too. Heartbreak hurts, but moving on isn’t so difficult. Just look at us! New love is always around the corner, and the world won’t end if one person doesn’t like you back.”

_Just like with me and Ladybug…_

“You’re right, Kagami, as always. The world will keep spinning, and there’s plenty of fish in the sea.”

“Or just one, with gorgeous blue highlights and a fancy guitar…” Kagami giggled when Adrien covered his own face with embarrassment. “So it’s good that we’re all going to Luka’s boat this afternoon, isn’t it? I get to witness you act all mushy around him just like before. Only this time, it’s different.”

“I really hope I don’t do something embarrassing around Luka!”

“Adrien, it wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Argh, being bisexual and having a crush sucks!”

“But at least it’s Luka you like. He’s really sweet. Now let’s go get ready and make up a lie to tell our parents!”

*

Walking to the boat with Kagami felt like doomsday, because how could Adrien hide his feelings now that he was all too aware of them? It seemed silly to fall so hard so fast, but then again maybe he had been falling for so long for so many different people that he hadn’t really allowed those feelings to surface. He always had to shove everything down because his love for his ‘one true love’ Ladybug seemed far more important. But that love was a lie. There was no happiness to be found loving an idol, an image, a superhero whose identity he didn’t know.

Luka, on the other hand…

How _couldn’t_ anyone love Luka? Lying wasn’t something he seemed to do, unless it was to protect someone else’s feelings. And if asked about his secret identity, would he tell the truth? To someone he trusted, he probably would, and even if that was dangerous, Luka would probably do it so he didn’t have to keep lying to a friend. And that’s far more than Adrien had ever done, too afraid of the consequences. Even his best guy friend Nino had no idea, or Kagami.

At the boat, it seemed like the get together was already kicking off with Marinette, Lila, and Chloe right in the middle of some kind of argument as everyone else watched on. Nino and Alya were on their phones, bored of the ordeal. It wasn’t anything new.

“But I don’t get who invited you, Lila? You’re so mean to everyone and a total liar!” Marinette said, glaring and pointing a finger at her. “It seems like you invited yourself!”

“Yeah, and that’s like totally tacky,” Chloe said, being helpful to Marinette for once.

Lila gasped in horror, “How could you say such mean things about me? I never lie! I didn’t invite myself!”

“It’s not a closed party, Marinette, anyone can swing by. It doesn’t bother me,” Luka said, strumming at his guitar with an unimpressed expression. “And it’s not really a party anyway, just a chill get together between friends…”

“Exactly! Lila hasn’t been nice to a single person here!” Marinette replied, not swayed. “She’s just here because she heard that Adrien would be!”

“You’re so mean! Are you saying I don’t have any friends and only care about Adrien? That isn’t true! I do care about him, but I also care about all of you…”

“Liar!” Chloe exclaimed. “You’ve been nothing but a nuisance since day one!”

“Umm, did we come at a bad time?” Kagami interjected.

The three girls jumped apart, all eyes on the newcomers, and Adrien felt out of place. Especially with the bad vibes. He didn’t want to attend a gathering with so much conflict. It was better when everyone got along, or at least pretended to for the sake of everyone else having a good time. But perhaps pretending to like someone was worse.

“Adrien!”

“Finally, buddy, please salvage this party!”

“Before this boat sinks!”

Lila ran to Adrien, and flung herself into his arms, who awkwardly caught her. “Oh, Adrien, they’re all being so mean to me!”

“I know, Lila, and that’s not ok. Marinette, Chloe, I’m actually the one who invited Lila. It seemed rude to not invite her, being in our class and all. I would have felt guilty.”

Marinette immediately froze up, before flushing. “O-Oh… You’re so considerate, Adrien. I’m sorry, I was out of line.”

“Well I wasn’t! I hate Lila! But if you want to invite that liar then be my guest,” Chloe said, huffing before going over to the rest of the girls and sitting down, pouting. “Utterly ridiculous!”

Kagami dragged Lila by the hand out of Adrien’s arms with a smile. “It’s ok, Lila, you can stick with me for the night. I’ll make sure that no one bullies you.”

Lila seemed disappointed to be away from Adrien, but Adrien was glad. He didn’t feel any kind of love for Lila. He felt bad for her, and knew she lied a lot and had done awful things, but she wasn’t the only one. And he felt as if she could be a better person if she was given enough chances, and shown that there was no need to keep lying and tricking people. Hell, Chloe and her were amazingly alike, and Chloe had grown nicer. Not too nice, because that just wasn’t Chloe, but she now treated her friends better, even Marinette who she used to seem to hate.

“I wasn’t bullying Lila, really!” Marinette said. “I just don’t want her causing any problems.”

“Lila has feelings, Marinette,” Luka replied, cutting in before Adrien could.

“B-But…”

“Sit next to me, Marinette, and away from that liar!”

Marinette sighed in defeat before doing as Chloe said, surprisingly. Funny how so many things change over time.

Kagami seated herself and Lila far from Chloe and Marinette, which happened to be near Luka. And telling by the smirk Kagami gave Adrien, she was subtly egging him on to go and talk to the guy. So he sat down next to Luka who seemed down.

“Everything alright?” Adrien murmured quietly to Luka.

“No. I just wish that Marinette wouldn’t get like that. I can understand the anger, especially since Lila got Marinette kicked out of school that time, but anger isn’t helping to solve anything.”

“Agreed, I feel awful for Lila. Doesn’t excuse anything she’s done, but it makes you wonder if she’s ever had any friends.”

“Yeah… Because of that, now I feel so much tension. Like a song using the wrong instruments. Instead of there being a nice flow there’s so much crashing and banging. It sounds about as awful as I feel.”

“I’m sorry.”

Luka shook his head. “It’s not your fault. I just wish they wouldn’t fight like that in front of everyone. Why not go and talk things out? But no, they just have to shame each other in front of an audience.”

Adrien had never seen Luka so frustrated, not since the Akuma attack. And for a moment, Adrien worried that there would be a repeat of the Silencer, but he couldn’t see any glowing purple butterflies in the night sky. And for that he was glad. There had been less of them lately, which made him wonder of something deeper was going on behind the scenes. For now, he was glad for the break, and that everyone could focus on just being kids again. Teenagers doing teenage things without having to worry about being turned into a villain if they felt strong negative emotions.

“Why’d you and Luka break up, Marinette?” Lila asked loudly, with Kagami rolling her eyes by her side. “Was it because you like someone else? Another boy perhaps?”

“Lila, don’t,” Alya warned.

“Don’t what? Hey Marinette, do you think that Adrien and I would make a great couple? You must be happy that he and Kagami broke up.”

“NO!” Marinette exclaimed, falling out of her seat before stumbling to her feet. “U-Uh, what I meant to say was… I’m happy—no, I’m _sad_ that they broke up and I’m happy that I… Uhh… Argh! It’s none of your business, and whoever Adrien chooses is up to him! As long as it makes him happy!”

“Yeah Lila, shut up and stop causing waves,” Chloe added. “Just because Adrien wouldn’t pick a tacky girl like you doesn’t mean you get to act all high and mighty. I mean, who would choose you? No boys here would!”

“Oh, so Marinette, would you mind if I dated Luka?” Lila asked, grinning. If she grinned any wider then maybe her face would split. “He’s cute, and it’s such a waste that you two aren’t a thing anymore.”

“Back off, that cutie wouldn’t date you either!”

Luka turned away from the group and looked down at the water below. This night just seemed to get worse and worse.

“Luka…” Adrien whispered.

“It sucks that I can’t even use the excuse that ‘I have to go home’, because I live here.”

“Let’s go to your room then. Unless you want to be alone, that is…”

“No, let’s go before they notice us. Well, my sister will notice, but she won’t say anything. Let’s go.”

Stealthily, they made their way to the stairs and left the gathering for the lower deck. And once in the sanctuary of Luka’s room, both let out a sigh of relief.

“I hope the girls don’t start wrestling by the time we get back,” Adrien joked. “Well, if we ever go back that is. I’m sure Kagami can handle things if they get out of control, and Rose can probably get them to calm down once she’s done gawking at the show.”

“Yeah…” Luka laid down on his bed and covered his face with his pillow. “Sometimes I’m glad that I don’t go to your school,” he said, voice muffled.

Adrien sat down on the bed by him, not daring to lay down next to him. “Well, you get used to it. It usually isn’t this bad… Well, depending on whether it involves an Akuma. I’m glad that Hawk Moth seems to be busy tonight.” Luka still didn’t remove the pillow from his face. “Are you ok with Lila digging into your relationship like that?”

“It’s fine, she can say whatever she wants. The break up wasn’t as big of a thing as she and everyone probably thinks it was. It felt mutual, even if I was the one to end it. We just weren’t good for each other.”

“And that’s ok, it happens sometimes.”

“Yeah…”

There was silence for a few moments, before Luka uncovered his face and sat up. “This talk feels so familiar.”

“O-Oh, does it?”

“Uh huh. A wise friend of mine made me see that I shouldn’t feel so bad about the break up. So I don’t. I’ve been thinking about it, and Marinette and I are really not good for each other. To her I was a source of comfort, but not the one she wanted. I was just the only one around who wouldn’t judge and would be there for her. But when I needed her, it didn’t feel like she was always there for me in return. There was always someone else.”

“Huh… Well I hope everything works out for her, and you too. It couldn’t have been easy.”

“No, it wasn’t. I pretended like it was. But I shouldn’t be ok with being the second choice. I want to be someone’s number one.”

If Adrien had any confidence at all, then he would have said, ‘Well Luka, to me you’re my number one, because you’re perfect.’ But instead Adrien said, “W-Well, I’m sure that one day you’ll find someone that will adore you.”

Luka sighed. “Yeah, I guess so. There’s always hope, right?”

“Yes, always! Never let go of hope!” _I really hope he doesn’t realise that this is close to a repeat of that conversation he had with Chat Noir…_

“Thanks, Adrien, you always know what to say. But I think I want to go on a walk for a bit, by myself. I just need to think, away from all the noise for a bit, if that’s ok.”

“That’s fine, Luka. I’ll be here when you get back.”

*

That night, Luka didn’t return to the party. Adrien waited, and even texted, but he never returned. Not even when everyone was ready to leave.

“I’m sure he’s just staying at a friend’s house,” Juleka told everyone. “He does that sometimes.” But even she looked uncertain.

“He’s a big boy and can look after himself,” Chloe said, rolling her eyes. “C’mon, let’s go already!”

Kagami put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring look. “He’ll be ok, Adrien. Maybe he just needs some time to himself.”

“But he’s been gone for so long.”

“And you’re worrying too much. Just like Juleka said, he probably stayed at someone’s house. It happens.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

It wasn’t until Adrien left the party and changed into Chat Noir when alone that everything became clear. Because voice memos had been left on the Miraculous team’s secret messaging network:

_“This is Viperion checking in. Is anyone else on patrol tonight? I guess not. Well, this is weird but I saw Hawk Moth in the park. It looked like he was grabbing butterflies. Maybe his supply was getting low, since we’ve been catching and releasing so many of his. Makes sense that he’d do it at night when no one could see. It looked as ridiculous as you can imagine._

_“This is Viperion checking in again. Is no one else around on patrol? I’ve been following Hawk Moth at a distance, and since I have no back up I can’t engage. I would have liked to release those butterflies, but we all know that Ladybug and Chat Noir will end up doing that in their own way eventually. But imagine if we can stop his supply completely? He probably hatches them at home, but you can’t speed up the lifecycle of butterflies, so of course he needs more and more from the park._

_“Viperion, once again. He’s heading to a house of someone I know. I’ve activated Second Chance, so I’ll keep following. I’m not sure if he’s heading to this house because he lives there. Maybe he wants to make them a victim? No, why not just choose anyone else? He did spot me a few times before, I have to admit. But of course all those times I called in before being discovered were erased with time. I just…wish someone would pick up. This is too important._

_“I’m inside the house but there’s an elevator? I’m riding it, and this must mean that… Please, someone pick up. I seriously need the back up and I can’t explain this without you guys here. Wait, w-what…who is that—”_

“Viperion! Hello, Viperion?!” Chat exclaimed, calling into the network, but Viperion’s last message had been an hour ago. He was offline. “Ladybug, pick up! Hello? Viperion’s in trouble! Hello?”

But no one answered.

Chat Noir searched the city, searched all the parks, but couldn’t find any signs of a struggle, or of Viperion for that matter. And when he checked the boat, Luka still wasn’t back.

Luka was gone. Without a sign as to where he went or what he had discovered.


	2. The Rise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some trivia for y’all! Originally this work was going to be named ‘Shadow Hearts and Blank Promises’, but that name just didn’t seem to fit. And without further ado, let’s continue!

“How could he be gone, just like that?” Chat Noir demanded the following night as the Miraculous holders held a meeting. “And why wasn’t anyone on patrol?” Why did he have to attend that stupid party? If he hadn’t, Luka would have had back up.

“I was at a party,” Queen Bee admitted. “I was distracted, but it won’t happen again. Is there a way to track where he went?”

“I tried,” Ladybug said, messing with her own device. “But whatever happened messed with Viperion’s signal. It’s like he never existed.”

Carapace shook his head. “This is on us. We should have set up a roster for patrols, and called in if we weren’t going to be around.”

“Well we can’t change the past, so what matters is what we do now,” Rena Rouge said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Right now King Monkey, Ryuuko, Bunnix, and Pegasus are searching the parks but haven’t found anything.”

“Well what good would that do? Viperion went to a house, and we don’t know how far away that was to a park!” Queen Bee retorted, rolling her eyes.

“We can at least guess that the house that Hawk Moth went to was near a park, so it was in walking distance, so that’s something.”

“And break into a bunch of houses? Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! Just admit that we don’t know where to start searching!”

“It’s the best start we have,” Ladybug said. “But I agree that it’s hard to know where to look. And why he didn’t just say whose house it was.”

“That _is_ weird,” Rena Rouge agreed. “But if it was his friend’s house, then maybe he didn’t want to say anything just in case he was wrong, or if it would lead to revealing his own identity.”

“Well what does that matter? Everyone knows who I am, and I know who most of you are after…that one time,” Queen Bee said.

“Yeah, when you teamed up with Hawk Moth,” Carapace replied, unimpressed. “And he probably hasn’t forgotten who most of us are, by the way.”

“Pfft, I’m not scared of him. My little sisters could beat him up,” said Rena Rouge with a giggle.

Chat Noir clapped his hands to get their attention. “Team, focus! We have no idea what happened to Viperion, and he could be in danger! Ladybug, could you use your power to help us?”

“It’s not a good idea to try and use it without an Akuma around or threat. I’m not sure if it’d work at all, and I can’t risk it yet. My time as Ladybug gets reduced by a lot when I use it.”

“Well—”

 _“Ladybug, we got a problem!”_ Bunnix exclaimed on the network. _“A new Akuma just showed up and it’s not good! I hardly know how to use my powers and it’s Viperion! When he plays his lyre, musical notes appear, and if you get hit you—PEGASUS! Guys, get to the park we’ve been searching, quick!”_

Without a second to waste, the Miraculous crew ran off to Bunnix’s team’s location, only to find that the entire crew had been no doubt brainwashed to follow Hawk Moth’s command, as their faces were blank, and their eyes were a glowing purple. And in the middle of them stood Viperion, with a darker version of his costume, with his own eyes a glowing purple. His lyre glowed the same colour and he showed no reaction when back up arrived. Hawk Moth’s mark did appear over his eyes for a few moments, no doubt giving him orders, and when it vanished there was still no life on his face. Only blankness.

“Viperion?” Chat Noir tentatively asked, reaching a hand out subconsciously. “What happened to you? What did he do to you?”

Viperion slowly looked at the hand, before his eyes bore into Chat Noir’s. There was no response. Not until Queen Bee suddenly launched an attack in the form of a leap and a kick aiming down at Viperion, and Viperion side-stepped, right before he strummed his lyre, and a visible purple note hit Queen Bee, winning her over to Hawk Moth’s side.

“Queen Bee, no!” Ladybug exclaimed, but it was too late.

“I don’t trust that his zombies aren’t moving,” Rena Rouge murmured quietly to the group, so that Viperion wouldn’t get any ideas. “But if we get hit once by that lyre attack, that’s it.”

“I’m going to guess it’d be like that Queen Bee situation all over again. Except that Hawk Moth knows the rest of our identities, so he wants Ladybug and Chat Noir under Viperion’s control the most. So guys, maybe you should leave this mess to us,” Carapace said logically.

“And leave you guys here without any back up? No way!” Chat Noir argued. “And I’m not abandoning Viperion, not again!”

“Dude, you’re not abandoning anyone, it’s too dangerous.”

“Yeah, and Viperion only attacked when Queen Bee did. Look, he hasn’t done anything else yet. Maybe we can end this without any risks. And…maybe I can get through to him.”

“Chat Noir, don’t be stupid!” Rena Rouge exclaimed, as Chat Noir moved closer to Viperion. “Are you insane? Didn’t you listen to anything we’ve been saying? We need you to not be turned into a zombie more than anyone!”

Chat Noir knew it was a stupid, impulsive idea. Selfish, too, in a way. But time was running out and guilt was eating away at him. Something awful must have happened in order for Viperion to be like this.

“Viperion, it’s me, Chat Noir. You’re probably not in the right mind right now, but I’m your friend, and you’re stronger than anyone knows. You can fight it, whatever it is that made you like this, and I’ll help you through it. You probably won’t give up the object that has the Akuma in it, and that’s ok. But I wish I could have protected you, so I’m here now to try and make up for that.” More steps towards Viperion, and still no lyre attack. “I’m so sorry, Viperion. When all this is over I’ll have to give you a rose as an apology. Maybe not a red one, so how do you feel about blue? I actually don’t know what they mean, but I’m sure you do. Light pink might be better… U-Uhh, I don’t know what that one means either! Honest!”

“Is he seriously flirting right now?” Rena Rouge hissed out.

But finally, familiarity flickered on Viperion’s face, if only briefly, and then his zombie army were suddenly free, though all of them collapsed immediately. As if a break in concentration had released the lyre’s magic over them.

“Thank you, Viperion, but I’m being serious about the rose thing… White roses might be better! Because they can symbolise youthfulness, and we all want to be young forever! As for the other meanings…well don’t worry about those.”

Viperion, in a flash, grabbed Chat Noir’s wrist, before running off and dragging him away with him. And Chat Noir ran with him, knowing that it was a bad idea, but somehow trusting that Viperion really meant him no harm, even in this state.

“CHAT! What’s gotten into you today, kitty?!” Ladybug yelled.

“I’ll be fine! Take care of everyone else! I’ll call if there’s trouble!” He didn’t say that perhaps if he was being led into a trap, that he might not have time to report it. But he trusted his team, and he trusted Viperion. Everything was going to turn out ok. Even though he was being a bit of a hypocrite about back up.

As they ran, Chat shook Viperion’s hand off, and when Viperion tried to grab onto him again, Chat grabbed him by the hand. “What?” Chat asked at Viperion’s confused expression. “It was starting to chafe! Can’t a guy hold another guy’s hand without it being weird?” Sometimes he wished that he wouldn’t blurt out such stupid things, but Viperion kept silent and didn’t break the hold, he just squeezed Chat’s hand in response.

The giddiness that Chat felt from holding Viperion’s hand started to fade away when they stopped before the gates of Chat’s own house. And the implications of what this meant buzzed through Chat’s mind. Did Viperion need to see Adrien? Did Luka? What for?

“ _Argh!_ ” Viperion let go and grasped at his own head, grunting in pain as he clenched his eyes shut.

“What’s wrong?!” exclaimed Chat, putting a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. “Is it the Akuma?”

Viperion took in a deep breath before shaking his head. “I-It’s… A part of it. But I wanted to say that I’m sorry,” he said quietly, barely louder than a whisper. The first words he said as an Akuma.

“It’s ok, Viperion, you’re not the first of our group who had to deal with this.”

“It’s not about that,” Viperion replied, looking to Chat with pain in his eyes and sorrow written all over his face. “I know who you are, so when I saw Hawk Moth go here of all places… I couldn’t report it. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“You…know who I am?”

Viperion smiled, and even the dark effects of the Akuma couldn’t make that smile look the least bit malicious. “Of course I know who you are. I suspected for a while, but recently I know that I’m right. I’m glad it’s you.” But then his smile melted away. “But I’m not glad that you’re going to find out like this. Because Hawk Moth is…” He couldn’t even get the rest of his words out, because he clutched his head again, in obvious pain. “P-Please, we have to hurry. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to break out of his hold a second time.”

Chat grabbed his hand, determined to see this through so that Viperion’s suffering could end. And still, Chat ignored the truth. He didn’t think deeper on what any of this meant, hyper-fixating on the elation of Luka knowing who Adrien was. Because this other truth before his very eyes would make him want to give up, and would break him. For now he could play ignorant, could push everything else out of his mind and focus on holding Viperion’s hand.

“Let’s go, Viperion. Show me before it’s too late.”

“Yes… I’m so sorry, Chat.”

*

How they got on this elevator seemed like a blur, not only to Chat. Viperion was feeling just as apprehensive, if not more with the effects of the Akuma trying to take hold of him once again. Its tendrils were strong, but having Adrien right next to him made Luka feel stronger. Even if he hadn’t figured out his identity, he would have felt stronger with Chat as well, and he was glad that the two were one in the same. Glad to not have to feel conflicted about the two.

Viperion had ridden this elevator before, afraid and horrified of what he would find in Adrien’s home but unable to turn back.

Viperion had seen the man and woman behind it all, and the body of one that the world thought was buried. And Viperion, having been alone and terrified for Adrien, had been hit with an Akuma. Second Chance had ran out before he had been able to do anything.

But now it was Adrien who was going to see the truth, and while Viperion dreaded what would happen down here, he knew it wasn’t right to keep it a secret. A friend wouldn’t do that, and he had grown fond of Adrien and Chat, who deserved the world and much more. Luka cared so much about Adrien, and that burned stronger than the negativity of the Akuma. So for his sake, Luka would fight it, and for now Hawk Moth wouldn’t have Viperion as a pawn. His heart couldn’t take it if he had to fight Chat.

The elevator ride ended, and as soon as the doors opened, butterflies flew in and they were greeted to the scents of flowers from a beautiful garden. A bridge led over from that elevator to that garden, so Viperion and Chat walked forward, and all the while Viperion checked Chat’s face, to see if he had spotted the worst aspect of that garden.

Before the inevitable reveal could happen though, Hawk Moth and Mayura stepped into view, blocking the centrepiece of the butterfly garden.

“At first I thought you were being defiant, my pawn, but it seems that I judged you too soon. I’m not sure what’s wrong with your Akuma, but perhaps the Miraculous is interfering. No matter, you brought me Chat Noir, and that’s more than my other pawns have ever done,” Hawk Moth said, pleased with Viperion, and swinging his cane around, excited by his own possible victory.

Viperion and Chat stopped before the duo, and for once Chat was as quiet as Viperion was. He looked angry, so Viperion squeezed his hand. There wasn’t much Viperion could do for him asides from be his support. He just needed a sign of how to proceed. If Chat chose to fight, then Viperion would have his back, using the powers of the Akuma against Hawk Moth and Mayura, and make them regret choosing the dark path forward.

“Hawk Moth, what is this place?” Chat asked, practically spitting the words out through clenched teeth. The wild look in his eyes was growing, and malice was building.

Hawk Moth gestured around, “My quaint little butterfly garden, of course. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“And what. Is. _That!_ ” Chat pointed behind them, at the capsule containing a body.

“Well you see Chat Noir, that lady there is why we’re doing all of this,” Mayura said, patting Hawk Moth on the shoulder to take the lead, to speak her poison.

“Mayura…”

Mayura waved Hawk Moth off, shaking her head. “With yours and Ladybug’s Miraculous, a wish of any kind can be granted. And our wish is to revive this woman, to save her life. For the sake of love, wouldn’t you do the same? All this time you’ve been fighting to keep something that can grant happiness to others. Isn’t it selfish not to grant this wish? Everyone would do the same exact thing.”

But rather than be satisfied with her answer, the malice in Chat looked like it was growing, and his pupils reduced to very thin slits as he showed his teeth and claws of his free hand. “Isn’t she already lost?” he spat out, a dark edge to his voice. “Every day, so many people lose someone, so what makes this situation any different?! What makes either of you so special? What makes you, and _him,_ deserve a wish any more than literally anyone else?! Sometimes you have to accept when someone is gone for good. To mourn, and grieve, and not keep praying for some kind of miracle. If she’s already gone, then let her rest in peace. By doing this, you’re going to just make things worse. The Miraculous aren’t meant to be used for something like this.”

“HOW DARE YOU!” Hawk Moth roared, brandishing his cane and pointing it at Chat. “What can you possibly know about love or loss? You’re just an insolent little child! You always were the more useless one of your little team! If Ladybug were here, then she’d hand over the Miraculous!”

“Well she isn’t here!” Chat yelled back, glaring. “Besides, she knows as well as I do that this isn’t right! Let her go already! She’s gone!”

And of course, just like Adrien’s father would, Hawk Moth didn’t listen to reason. He still couldn’t accept the loss, and that pain led to anger, to destruction. “Mayura, I have nothing more to say to this child. Let’s get his Miraculous and then focus on getting Ladybug’s.”

“Fine, I suppose we can do this the hard way.”

“Viperion, take his Miraculous!” Hawk Moth commanded, his logo flashing over his eyes.

Viperion gasped out in pain, shaking his head, but the logo didn’t flash over his eyes. He refused to hurt someone he cared about. His will to protect Adrien only grew stronger, and Hawk Moth lost more of his influence over him.

“C-Chat, we have to fight them. Should we call for back up?” Viperion asked, his headache easing, looking to his partner.

“No,” Chat replied darkly, practically growling. “We can take them both down ourselves.” Then he let go of Viperion’s hand and launched himself at Hawk Moth with a hiss, leaving Viperion to deal with Mayura.

“Go help Hawk Moth,” Mayura told Viperion, pointing, but Viperion merely smiled. “What? How are you..?”

“Maybe we know more about love than either of you combined,” Viperion murmured, strumming at his lyre and getting into a defensive stance. “But I’ll be sure to thank Hawk Moth for the power up. Want to know how it feels to be a zombie? I have just the song!”

Mayura prepared her fan. “Well, you are an interesting one… Aren’t you worried that we’ll go after your family since we know who you are? You do have a sister after all, who I’m sure you care about…”

“Neither of you scare me. Besides, everyone knows Chloe’s identity and she’s fine. Get better threats, Mayura, you’re boring me to tears!” He strummed violently at his lyre, sending out waves of notes, all of which Mayura dodged. He had to admit that she was amazingly agile, but he could keep up. He had to make sure that she wouldn’t back up Hawk Moth or else Chat would be in trouble. “Why help Hawk Moth anyway? He hurts so many people.”

“You wouldn’t understand!”

“If it’s for love, then it’s hard to blame you, but isn’t there others that you care about? He hurts everyone around him, even his own son!”

“He loves Adrien! Don’t you see that Adrien would be much happier with his mother brought back?”

“Something tells me he wouldn’t.” _And Chat’s reaction is proof of that._ “And bringing her back won’t fix the fact that Adrien’s dad is an abusive prick!”

“You don’t know him like I do!”

Viperion continued to throw notes at her, knowing that talk was useless. She wouldn’t listen to a word he said. Her love for Hawk Moth was too deep. Maybe once she had cared about Adrien as if he were her own son, but now she was as lost as Adrien’s dad. It was too late for them to turn back. They were too obsessed, too lost, but if they were locked up in prison then they wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else.

“Father, you need to end this insanity! This isn’t what she would have wanted.”

“ _Adrien?!_ ”

Viperion turned to see Chat standing over Hawk Moth, who was on his back. His mask had been scratched off, and one of Chat’s hands was dripping with blood. Hawk Moth’s face didn’t look too badly damaged, but it was roughed up enough to show that Chat meant business.

“My own son is…Chat Noir?”

“I am, and I’m not handing over my Miraculous. I don’t trust that you’ll use it for any kind of good,” Chat replied angrily. “And to think that this entire time Hawk Moth was my own father! Boy was I an idiot. I should have seen this coming! The signs were all there, but I didn’t want to suspect you. I didn’t think you were capable of being so awful, but you’ve been like this for a long time. You always acted like it was just you that lost someone, but I lost my mother!”

“And I’m trying to bring her back, Adrien! You’re too young to understand!”

“What’s there to understand?! That you’re selfish and always make everything about _you?!_ I mourned and grieved and have been so depressed since she died, but I accepted that she was gone and let her go! But you couldn’t accept it, and it turned you into a monster! I’m sorry that it hurts, but you’ve done so much damage to other people! She’d hate you if she came back right now! You’re an awful, vile man, and I should have ran away from home years ago!”

“I’m sorry that you feel that way, Adrien,” Hawk Moth said slowly, getting up with the help of his cane but Chat didn’t back off. “But you can never understand how I feel.”

“No, Adrien, move!” But before Viperion could get near them, the top of Hawk Moth’s cane slid open, and he stabbed it at the bell of Chat’s neck.

White flooded over Chat Noir, eating away all the black. Green eyes became light blue, and blond hair became white. And Hawk Moth had another pawn.

Viperion ran over to Chat anyway, and grasped him by the shoulders, taking in a sharp breath when his vision flooded purple for a moment. Because he had failed to protect the one person he cared about when it mattered most, and that loss was making the Akuma’s hold take back over.

“A cat and a snake make an unlikely pair,” Chat said, grinning at Viperion with madness in his eyes. “Surely that can’t end well? Who’ll bite first, I wonder?”

Viperion let go, and backed away. “Chat Noir?”

“It’s _Chat Blanc,_ now… Do you dig the white? Black cats are _so_ unlucky, but I never heard any sayings about white cats…”

“Please, don’t tell me you’re under his control! You can fight it!”

Hawk Moth laughed as he walked over to Mayura. “My dear, how about we make the odds more in our favour? With a Catalyst!”

“It’d be my pleasure, Hawk Moth!”

“Viperion, we could work together,” Chat Blanc said, distracting Viperion from the duo. “As villains, sure, but who doesn’t dig two bad boys with wounded hearts? Women love putting together a broken heart of a mysterious man… And who could fix the broken heart of a cat like me? Where’s my lady, my princess, at a time like this? Isn’t Ladybug meant to crash in here and save the day like she always does? Well she can’t! It turns out that my dad is worse than anyone thought, and Lucky Charm can’t fix that! It can’t fix anything! What’s the point? What’s the point in fighting? Why are you still fighting? It’s easier if you just let the Akuma take over!”

“Chat, please, don’t give up!”

“It’s too late!” Chat exclaimed sadly, but then he grinned maliciously. “There’s no sorrow, like this! I can do whatever I want and I won’t feel anything! So what if my dad is a villain? So what if I give him the Miraculous and rule the world? I don’t feel anything anymore! My entire life was a lie, and it always has been! Chat Noir is a lie! Adrien is a lie! Everyone in this world is a liar!”

“Enhance Chat Blanc!” Mayura exclaimed, now in a red outfit.

A red butterfly shot through the air, and Viperion shoved Chat Blanc out of the way, taking the butterfly for himself.

Viperion’s vision flooded with red, and it felt like his body had been ignited, but he fought that red, beating it back, and when he opened his eyes his vision was far worse than it had been with just Hawk Moth’s Akuma to deal with. Red and purple kept flashing into his sight, twisting the world around him, as the two different brands of Akuma fought to take hold of him. He focused on Chat Blanc, who looked shocked, and Viperion didn’t bother trying to look at himself and his change in costume. He probably looked like a mess.

“I demand that you listen to me!” Hawk Moth exclaimed, but Viperion didn’t bow down under his command.

“Chat…Adrien, this isn’t the time but I want you to know that I care about you. I showed you this place because you had to know the awful truth about your father. And if I lose myself, I want you to try and not to give up hope. We have to protect the city against Hawk Moth and Mayura—that’s what being a Miraculous holder is all about. And I’m going to protect you as much as I can, but I can’t last for long like this. So, like you said, let’s team up. Not as villains, not even as heroes, but as two friends saving the city against a threat, saving you from your abusive father. What do you say?”

Hawk Moth’s logo appeared over Chat Blanc’s eyes, but it shattered moments later and Chat grinned wickedly. “I’d say that maybe a cat and a snake can make a great team after all! Let’s do this!”

_We don’t have much time before either of us lose control, but I hope it’s enough._

The next few minutes felt like an awful blur of red and purple, and while Viperion fought hard, it was difficult to focus on the events. He could remember whacking Hawk Moth with his lyre, the instrument itself, but not the result. He could remember watching Chat Blanc’s vicious onslaught of claws and blasts of blue energy, but not of his target.

But now it was all over, with Viperion and Chat Blanc standing over Hawk Moth and Mayura, both knocked out. And Chat Blanc took their Miraculous, reducing them to their civilian forms. “We should leave them here to rot!” Chat Blanc said, the Akuma shining through, because even an angry Adrien or Chat Noir wouldn’t leave them here like this. “It’s what they deserve for everything they’ve done to all of us and this city!”

“N-No,” Viperion said through the strain of trying to keep himself together. “Call the others, please.”

“Sure, fine, we can leave Ladybug to clean up the mess. Woohoo, Lucky Charm! Can’t fix everything though. Are you sure we can’t just leave them here?”

“Adrien, please…”

Chat Blanc’s ears flopped down. “Aww, ok. But hey, sit down, ok? You look…awful. You’re handsome, always, but you look awful as in really sick. And uhh, I don’t think your costume should be doing that!”

Viperion looked at his hands, and sure enough he could see that his body was covered in red and purple goop that moved as if it were alive. “C-Call Ladybug, don’t worry about me.”

“Hard not to, I do love you after all,” Chat said easily, flopping down beside Viperion. But he at least called up the team while Luka tried not to focus on what Chat had said. Because this was Chat Blanc, not Chat Noir and not Adrien. And Chat Blanc had a few screws loose anyway. “Well they’re on their way, but I hung up when they asked about poor little Adrien. Honestly, what is Ladybug’s problem with that guy? I know he’s me but wow, why did she freak out like that? Well, screw them, how are you?”

Viperion felt his nose dripping, and when he rubbed it, he found that he was indeed bleeding profusely, and his head felt like it was going to explode, and that his body was melting down. “If I’m being honest this is the worst I’ve ever felt, but how about you? It can’t have been easy to discover this stuff about your dad.”

Chat Blanc wagged a finger, “But we’re not talking about _me!_ You’re…not dying, right? Maybe fighting them is killing you! And I’m all Akuma and I’m alright!” Which was debatable.

“I can’t risk hurting you, Adrien. Especially with the enhancement to the Akuma I already had.”

Chat wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and cuddled up close to him. “Well then let this feline soothe you. Sorry that I don’t have any fur, but I’m warm, right? And you better not die, or I’ll be angry!”

Viperion tried to laugh, but it turned into a coughing fit instead. “I-I’m fine! J-Just…stay with me, Adrien.”

“Of course I will! Even when help arrives! Maybe de-transform?”

Viperion tried to, but his wristband wouldn’t come off. He felt so tired, and everything hurt. He couldn’t even see Chat Blanc’s face anymore.

It was getting dark, and hard to breathe.

“L-Luka?! Luka! Wake up! P-Please! Don’t leave me here all alone! There’s still s-so much I want to tell you!”

But the snake, too tired to go on, was consumed by the abyss. Worn out from fighting an internal battle that few could win. And his last thoughts were: that it would have been nice to spend one more day with Adrien, with no more secrets to hide. To be just Luka and Adrien. To be normal kids enjoying life, without people like Hawk Moth around.

But that dream seemed so far away now, as well as everything else.


	3. World's End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hands you chapter on a silver platter* Valentine’s Day final chapter update, anyone? Enjoy! <3

He wakes up in a field of flowers, where the wind doesn’t blow and the birds don’t sing, and the sun’s shine can’t be felt on his skin.

Luka sat up, flowers falling off of him and feeling more confused than he had been in his entire life. Because around him were roses of different shades, and none had thorns. Red, pink, white, blue, black, and more. So many that he wondered if he was stuck in some kind of dream.

He rubbed his tired eyes, and got to his feet, brushing himself off. He was in his civilian form, and confused on to why he was outside now, and not with Adrien or Chat Blanc. There was no one else around, in this park. He had mistaken it for a field. So it was even more odd that he was here, and had been covered in roses.

Luka walked around, discovering that it seemed like time in Paris had stopped. There were people, but all of them were frozen, and on closer inspection they seemed to be encased in stone. Something horrible had happened here. Had it been Hawk Moth and a new Akuma attack?

“Sass, what’s going on?” he asked the empty air.

Sass, on his command, appeared and immediately smooshed himself against Luka’s chest. “You’re finally awake!”

“Umm, y-yeah? What happened? You’re not usually this affectionate.”

Sass let go before coughing, putting back up his cool façade. “I wasn’t worried, of course. But things were looking bad back there. I don’t have a full memory of it all, so I’ll put it simply: you _died._ ”

“ _WHAT?!_ ”

Sass rolled his eyes. “Humans are so fragile. And stupid! What were you thinking putting so much stress on your body like that with the Akuma? It fried your itty-bitty human brain!”

“And then I died?!”

He nodded. “Yep! Your heart stopped, for a few minutes at least. Once you died, you de-transformed, and the energy from the Akuma went away. But then Chat Blanc went all loopy on everyone, and totally freaked out! And boom! End of the world! End of Paris! And now the world is stuck like this, probably forever. But hey, at least we’re together.”

Luka pinched the bridge of his nose and took in a deep breath. “Ok, that’s a lot to process. I seriously died?”

“YES! I keep saying that! But every Miraculous has hidden powers, and your Second Chance doesn’t just apply to time.”

“That seems overpowered.”

“And Lucky Charm isn’t? And I didn’t tell you because I didn’t need you going off and being reckless, which you did anyway! You could have died for good if they took me away, but loony Chat Blanc went nuts when they brought it up. If not for that, you wouldn’t be here.”

“I feel a panic-attack coming on...”

“How do you think I felt?”

Luka sighed and reached a hand out, and Sass floated down to rest on his palm. “I’m sorry Sass, for being so impulsive. I wasn’t in the right mind back there, but that’s no excuse. I just wanted to save Adrien so badly, but playing the hero doesn’t always have a good outcome. Like when I got ambushed with that first Akuma…”

“You’ll be forgiven once we fix this mess. Even if indirectly, it is your fault. You didn’t mean to die, but Chat Blanc ended the world anyway! So let’s go find him and see if we can fix things. Who needs a Lucky Charm when you’ve got Second Chance and a snake like me?”

“You’re right, we can do this. I just hope I can get through to him again. But this time I want to talk to him as Luka, not Viperion. I hope you understand.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! Now let’s go save that kitty, lover boy!”

“H-Hey, don’t call me that!”

*

It was strange to see the city frozen and to hear it be so quiet for once. Rather than being peaceful, it was nerve-wracking, but the silence meant that it was easier to focus on what was alive and moving. And Luka soon spotted that there was something going on at the Eiffel Tower. From a distance, he couldn’t see who was there, but he could only guess that it was a fight and that someone had survived Chat Blanc’s worldwide destructive attack.

He ran as fast as he could, glad that there was no need to avoid traffic when there was none, so he got to the Eiffel Tower in no time to find that the Miraculous team had all survived and were fighting Chat Blanc at the top. Well, not everyone, as it seemed like it was just Ladybug, Queen Bee, Rena Rouge, and Carapace.

“Be careful,” Sass whispered. “Chat Blanc’s even worse and stronger than before. He did watch you die after all.”

“I know, but I trust him. He’s still Adrien deep down, and I’m not afraid.”

“Well, it’d be your funeral, but there won’t be another revival for you. Remember that.”

“I know the stakes.”

Luka crept up the Eiffel Tower, avoiding debris on his way, as it seemed like Chat Blanc was truly giving the team hell. It was sad that he had sunken into such heavy despair, but it was easy to figure out why. The Akuma enhanced all the negative emotions he had probably felt upon discovering who Hawk Moth really was, and what he had been trying to do. And then Luka died in front of him because of Hawk Moth.

_I’m going to save you, Adrien, for real this time. We’re so close to being free of Hawk Moth, and free to live a normal life. Well, as normal as it can be with everything considered._

He kept climbing, as Luka. As easy as it would be to be Viperion, it was important that he did this as Luka. To be his true self, and so Adrien could see that he was alive and well. If Viperion showed up then he might think that Viperion was against him. Chat Blanc was a wild animal, after all, so it was better to present himself as an ally, not a threat, even if this was dangerous as a civilian.

As Luka got closer to the top, he could hear the clangs and bangs of the fight, and the swears of Queen Bee, and hurried shouts from Ladybug as she tried and failed to get through to Chat Blanc. “Where were you when he needed you?!” Chat Blanc exclaimed, louder than the rest of them. “Where was I?! All this began because all of us were too selfish to go on patrol that night, and he got caught! He was probably terrified all by himself, and now because of us he’s dead! What’s the point of any of this?! In the end I lost everything before I knew I even had it!”

“Chat, please, we can fix this!” Ladybug begged. “Just show me where the Akuma is hiding and—”

“It’s a part of me now, probably for good! I deserve this! All of us deserve a ruined world for failing him!”

“And what about my family, do they deserve this?” Rena Rouge argued. “I have two little sisters! Do they deserve this? To be trapped in stone for eternity? My parents? My older sister? We made a mistake, you’re right, but this won’t bring him back… All of us lost a valuable member of the team! And a friend…”

“And I lost someone I was in love with!” Chat Blanc exclaimed furiously. “I was in love with Viperion, with Luka! I finally realised it, and I never got the chance to tell him that for real and then he died! Just like that! Just like my dad, everyone around me gets hurt! It’s all my fault! I deserve to live in this ruined world!”

“Y-You and Luka?” Ladybug asked, surprised.

“It’s funny, but it’s so easy to say it now instead of to his face! I wanted to ask him out, but I lost my chance. I didn’t want to push things. But I liked him for a long time. Who couldn’t like Luka? So no, I’m not going to let you stop me! I deserve this! I deserve this despair and suffering! I was too consumed by rage to stop him from getting hurt, and his death is on my hands the most!”

 _Adrien…_ Luka pressed a hand against his own chest, feeling an ache in his heart. _I shouldn’t have played with his feelings with that whole rose thing. I meant it, but if it led to so much confusion and pain on my part then maybe it would have been better if that hadn’t happened. Besides, so many others are in love with Adrien. How can he be in love with me? I don’t deserve it. I can’t make him happy, not like Marinette can. Those two…they’re made for each other. Fated, maybe, to be together. Everyone can see it. Adrien and I aren’t meant to be together. I’m nothing in comparison._

Even so, Luka did feel something for Adrien. A fondness like no other. Adrien had a tune about him, different to everyone else’s. A sad yet sincere tune. Adrien deserved happiness, elation, love. Luka just didn’t feel like he was the right person to give him all that. Anyone else would be better at all those things than Luka, who never knew what to say. He wasn’t always good with words, or expressing his emotions. And he didn’t see people like everyone else did. He didn’t see Adrien as a super-model—he saw him as just _Adrien._ Sweet, wholesome, caring Adrien who always tried his best. Appearances didn’t seem to matter, just the tune that people gave off, and Adrien’s tune was the most alluring of them all.

It was a shame that Luka had discovered the tune so late, and that pursuing anything would lead to crushing so many peoples’ feelings.

_…But just like Adrien said, sometimes it’s ok to consider yourself for once. As long as you do it carefully. But I still don’t know if I can… I like him so much, but I don’t want to hurt my friends. Why does love have to be so complicated?_

“If all of you keep getting in my way, then I’ll turn you into stone as well! Leave me alone and let me wallow in misery in peace!”

“Chat, this won’t fix anything! We can put the world back exactly as it was!”

“Except that Luka will still be dead!”

“I-I…don’t know.”

“Haha, maybe I should test out what Hawk Moth wanted to do. I’ll bring Luka back, and get my happy ending, and then everything can go back to the way it was!”

“Sorry, but we can’t let you do that,” Queen Bee said. “It could go wrong, and make everything worse. Seriously, you’re as dumb as a brick as an Akuma.”

“Oh, and look who’s talking, _Ms Traitor!_ How many times did you betray the team again?” Chat Blanc asked.

_Uh-oh, I better get up there before Queen Bee tries to scratch his eyes out._

“That was a long time ago!”

“It…really wasn’t?”

When Luka got near the top, he sighed, knowing that he would have to make a dangerous climb from here to get to the second platform where everyone else was.

“ _Cataclysm!_ ”

_OH NO! NOT NOW!_

Quickly, Luka grabbed onto the closet bar and gasped when the Eiffel Tower started to lean slowly, shaking and creaking as it moved, and Luka regretted his decision in being a civilian when it toppled onto its side, making Luka cry out when the impact shot through his body. Fortunately he had held onto a sturdy area of the tower, and hadn’t gotten crushed, but with the Eiffel Tower as it was, he would have to climb upwards, then walk across the side of it, because it seemed like the fight had moved to the tip.

_You don’t make anything easy, do you, Chat Blanc?_

Luka groaned as he started to climb upwards, with burning hands, but was determined to see this through. Maybe he was impulsive, and stupidly stubborn. But he had his hands full and it was too late to turn into Viperion now.

After what felt like an agonisingly long time climbing up, Luka finally pulled himself to the top, and sure enough the team were fighting Chat Blanc further down, and they were losing while Chat Blanc looked like he wasn’t slowing down at all, firing off Cataclysms left and right. Ladybug and Carapace could barely keep up deflecting the attacks, and Queen Bee couldn’t get an opening to use her sting attack, while the illusions Rena Rouge conjured weren’t distracting Chat Blanc in the slightest.

Luka slowly crept towards the group, not being able to rush just in case he tripped on the metal and fell through. It would be hard to save himself if he slipped. Too dangerous to risk it, especially with no second chances. But if he was Viperion… No, that would just enrage Chat Blanc more.

He wasn’t noticed as he got closer, as everyone was distracted fighting, and Chat Blanc managed to knock Carapace’s shield away, about to fire off a Cataclysm right into his face…

“If black cats are bad luck then what does that make you?!” Luka yelled to them, cupping his hands around his mouth to try and make his voice heard.

The glow of the Cataclysm vanished, and Chat Blanc leapt over the others with wild abandon, running over to Luka like his life depended on it. He even tackled him, wrapping his arms around his middle as Luka barely kept himself from falling. “H-Hey, careful. We’re not exactly on stable ground here…”

“For an illusion, you’re so warm!” Chat Blanc exclaimed before letting go and stepping back with a pout. “Rena Rouge, you sly little thing… Don’t you think it’s a bit low to use something like this against me?”

“T-That’s not my doing!” Rena Rouge replied, horrified. “How is this possible?”

“I’m real,” Luka assured, grabbing Chat’s hands, gently holding them in his own. “See?”

“This is way too weird,” Carapace said. “Dude, is this real or are we all dreaming? He was dead, right?”

“I checked Luka’s pulse,” Ladybug replied sadly.

“Would anyone believe me if I said that Second Chance isn’t just a time thing?” Luka asked, sheepish, because he hadn’t thought about what he would say when he got up here. Of course nothing could ever be easy. This wasn’t some fairy tale but it sure as hell felt like one.

“Nope!” Chat Blanc replied, staring at their joined hands. “But it doesn’t matter, let’s go, fake Luka! I don’t care what you are!” And then he swept Luka up into his arms, and leapt away, using his staff to propel himself through the air like a prince saving his princess.

_Maybe I jinxed myself with the fairy tale comparison. This isn’t what I meant._

Once safe on the ground and far away from the toppled tower, Luka moved out of Chat Blanc’s arms and let out a sigh of relief. “I’ve had enough near heart-attacks for a lifetime at this point. Seriously, I need a nap or a bath and my guitar all at once.”

“And I need to pinch myself to see whether this is a dream or not!” Chat Blanc exclaimed, before doing just that, again and again, to the point that Luka had to grab his hands. “Your hands are as soft as the real Luka’s!”

“That’s because I _am_ the real Luka.”

“A fake would say the exact same thing!”

“A fake wouldn’t have woken up in a bed of roses in that park. Beautiful flower arrangement by the way. C’mon, I’ll even show you that there isn’t another Luka there.”

“Fine, lead the way my prince! If you’re wrong I’ll be real mad!”

“Haha, no pressure…” _And congratulations on giving me an existential crisis about whether or not I’m real. What if there is my dead body in the park and I’m not actually here? Argh, when will this crazy ride end? I’m at my limit almost as much as Chat Blanc is. No wonder why he’s so insane._

Thankfully, there wasn’t the deceased body of Luka left buried in the flowers. The roses were as scattered as they were when Luka had gotten up. It was creepy to think that this had been a makeshift grave. He was glad that Chat Blanc hadn’t actually buried him in the dirt. That would have made this entire thing really awkward. Maybe there hadn’t been time, assuming that the world had ended only hours ago. So Luka hadn’t been ‘dead’ for that long.

“See? I’m real,” Luka said, squeezing Chat Blanc’s hand.

Chat Blanc sniffled loudly before grabbing Luka and pulling him into an almost rib-crushingly tight hug. “O-Oh Luka! How I missed you! You’re alive!”

Luka held him, running a hand through those fluffy white locks. They sure were soft. “You can thank my Miraculous for that. I wish I had known about it beforehand, and I’m sorry that you were put through all of this.” _And is he…purring? Is this just a Chat Blanc thing or can Chat Noir do this too?_

The purring stopped as Chat Blanc replied, “The world is ruined, Luka! I did all of this for you! I couldn’t handle it! I’m sorry! I’m not strong like you! I can’t hold an Akuma back from taking me over, and now look what I did!”

“But you _are_ strong, Adrien. Stronger than anyone I know. If I found out that my mother was some villain, I wouldn’t be able to handle it. But you did, and you even fought your dad despite how much it must have hurt. You weren’t even swayed to help him with that wish.”

“B-But for you, I was tempted!”

“And it didn’t happen. I’m so proud of you! But you know what has to happen next. We need to return our home back to the way it was, and we can’t do that alone.”

Chat Blanc peered up at Luka through saddened eyes. “But how can I face them, after I said all those things and made all those threats?”

“You know the answer already: _together._ Let’s go, Adrien. Let’s go _home._ You can stay with me.”

Chat Blanc smiled, glimmers of hope peering through the madness. “I’d like that a lot, Luka.”

*

As the world was restored through Ladybug’s power, Paris zapped back to life and time flowed freely again. The streets bustled with cars and buses, and on the sidewalk the citizens went about their business, not realising that anything had happened at all. The Eiffel Tower was set back to the way it was, and no one was the wiser, asides from the Miraculous crew.

Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur were arrested by the police, as Ladybug and Chat Noir announced to the city that they had been the one to terrorise Paris for so many years. And while the public struggled to accept that Gabriel had been the main culprit, it was hard to justify the fact that his late wife was found under the Agreste Mansion in some kind of weird coffin. And for once, the rich and famous was found guilty without any chance of buying his way out of a prison sentence.

Emilie Agreste, Adrien’s ‘dead’ mother, had been found actually alive in that coffin. But in a comatose state. And now she was in a hospital but had no signs of waking up any time soon. At least she was alive, and away from the twisted clutches of Gabriel who would have torn the city and its people apart just to awaken her. Many would do the same thing, but not to such extreme lengths. If Gabriel had simply asked Ladybug and Chat Noir at the start of everything, then perhaps it would have turned out differently. Now both of them knew better than to use their powers for a wish that could have dangerous repercussions for the entire world.

Emilie’s sister, Amelie Graham de Vanily, was able to get custody of Adrien, and ownership of the Agreste Mansion, promising that Adrien could have it on his eighteenth birthday. But Adrien didn’t want it now or ever. It was forever a tainted oppressive place, and the source of his lonely childhood. So, with permission from Amelie, he moved out of the mansion and moved in with Luka. Felix could destroy Adrien’s room for all he cared. Adrien was done with mansions and large homes filled with empty space and silence.

Now he lived on a boat with Luka with Juleka, and their eccentric mother. And Adrien couldn’t be any happier.

And now without Hawk Moth in the picture, team Miraculous didn’t feel a need to hide their identities anymore. Well, it had been Chat Noir that had given up pretending to be two different people. And when he revealed his true self, hardly anyone was surprised, considering what had happened at his own house. Only Ladybug had gasped in disbelief. “I can’t believe it was you this whole time!”

Adrien giggled as he grasped Luka’s hand. “Yeah, and I can’t believe you hated my jokes! I used some of my best material on you!”

Ladybug groaned and ran her hands down her face. “And I was so mean and rude to you! I wouldn’t have if I knew…”

“It’s fine! It’s not like I gave you an easy time either. Remember when I was totally head over heels in love with you? Argh, I was totally embarrassing. I’m so sorry about acting like a weirdo… Love makes you do crazy things.”

“Agreed.” And she de-transformed, and now it was everyone else’s turn to be surprised.

“MARINETTE?!”

“Eep, why are you all yelling?! Yes, it’s me!”

Chloe was stunned speechless, as was Adrien, and Luka didn’t look surprised at all. Everyone else de-transformed, and there was no more need for secrets between the group.

“I still can’t believe that Marinette Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug!” Chloe exclaimed dramatically, blushing. “That’s so weird!”

“It isn’t weird, Chloe. I think it’s cute,” Kagami said, smiling sweetly. “And the fact that you went on and on about Ladybug, and all this time you’ve been indirectly talking about Marinette without knowing it. I think it’s sweet.”

“ _What?!_ ” Marinette squeaked out, just as embarrassed as Chloe.

“And the both of you work really well together and have good chemistry,” Luka added smugly, leaning on Adrien. “Do ladybugs and bees go together? What do you think, my prince?”

“Oh, I think they go together _purr-fectly,_ ” Adrien replied, nodding.

Alya giggled and nudged Nino. “Now that those two guys are dating, we have some competition in the ‘embarrassing friends’ department. We have to kick up our game.”

“Please don’t start making snake puns, Luka. Adrien is bad enough,” Alix begged.

“What’s wrong with puns? Animal puns are cool,” said Kim, genuinely confused.

Max groaned. “And there isn’t even any good unicorn puns I can make without being inappropriate!”

“Please don’t give Kim any ideas,” Chloe interjected. “The less ‘horn’ jokes, the better. Especially from _him._ ”

Kim looked even more confused, but thankfully dropped the subject. Bless his naïve soul.

“Aww, you’re all hurting my _felines,_ ” Adrien said, grinning when everyone except Kim groaned, even Luka. “As revenge for Ladybug having never appreciated my jokes, I’m going to make them more often.”

“Please don’t! Jokes are funny! And you’re just cringe!” Alix said, shaking her head. “If only I could reverse time and stop you from making puns altogether… Huh, that’s not such a bad idea. But I still don’t have a handle on my time powers yet. One day though, I’ll be unstoppable!”

“And by then I hope you’ll use your powers wisely,” Kagami replied.

“Pshh, of course I will! Uh, sometimes… Hey, time travellers need to have some fun now and then too!”

“Ok everyone, enough talk about bad jokes and doing irresponsible things with your powers,” Marinette said, getting up to her feet so that she would have all of the attention of the room. “Two villains are behind bars, but our job as Miraculous holders isn’t over. A new threat might be around the corner, so we have to be ready. The world will always need us, but for now we can breathe easy. And going forward, we can set new rules for the Miraculous. For some reason, I was taught that revealing identities would lead to destruction and ruin, but we’re all still here.”

“It could be that in other timelines they led to destruction, but for some reason that didn’t happen here. Well, not in the same way we thought it would,” Max pointed out, gesturing to Adrien but not bringing up Hawk Moth. “I think it’s a good thing that everything is out in the open. It means that we can all trust each other, and don’t feel so alone with secrets to hide.”

“Agreed. I don’t know how Marinette and Adrien hid it from each other for so long. That had to be painfully inconvenient,” Alix agreed. “And embarrassing, considering you guys crushed on each other in different and confusing ways.”

“And yet it’s Luka that took Adrien’s heart,” Kagami said with a kind smile. “It’s adorable.”

“Gross,” Chloe grumbled.

Marinette groaned in despair. “It was definitely embarrassing! All this time, I fell for a guy that tells the worst puns!”

“I think the puns are cute,” Luka confessed, not at all ashamed to admit it. “ _Sometimes…_ ” he added with a grin, laughing when Adrien lightly shoved him.

“And he was so bad at flirting!”

Adrien gasped in fake horror. “I am not a bad flirt, Marinette! Tell her off, my prince! Defend my honour!”

“I mean, you turned into mush when I handed you your own rose,” Luka pointed out, grinning. “And while I didn’t entirely mean to, I out-flirted you, and I’m asexual.”

“The competition between bisexuals and asexuals is vicious,” Kagami said in a wise tone. “Even if it usually is one-sided and accidental. It’s so romantic!”

“Is it weird dating each other?” Kim asked, genuinely curious. “Since you’re both so different like that?”

Adrien shook his head. “It doesn’t feel like we’re from two different worlds or anything. It just feels right, I guess? Like this is how things were meant to be. And we know each other’s boundaries, and we’re taking things slow. I’m happy.”

For once, Luka blushed, and he struggled to hide how delighted he was to hear his boyfriend say that. “S-Same… I’m glad that things ended out this way. I was worried that there would be problems.”

“Oh, like Marinette being all ‘bleh-bleh-bleh’ about things?” Alix asked.

“Well, knowing that Adrien is also Chat Noir, I’m no longer all ‘bleh-bleh-bleh’ around Adrien,” retorted Marinette, rolling her eyes. “Besides, you two are cute together and obviously happy. And sure, it’s hard to get over someone you’ve had a crush on for such a long time, but I don’t think that crush was entirely healthy. I’m starting to realise that now.”

Alya cheered and clapped her hands. “You’re making great progress girl, I’m proud of you!”

“Well, it didn’t help that every time us girls met up we were conspiring to pair the two together,” Alix said, raising an eyebrow. “That’s on us.”

“I wondered where you kept going off to, Alya!” Nino said. “You girls were holding secret meetings just to get my buddy and Marinette together?”

“Yep, and it was a waste of time because golden boy and goth boy are together,” Alix said with a sigh. “All that time was wasted! And I’m not just saying that because time is my thing, ok? Seriously, we could have been doing literally anything else.”

“I’m not goth, am I?” Luka asked Adrien.

Adrien grabbed his hand, showing Luka his own black nails. “Kind of? Your sister is definitely goth, but you’re more punk. Doesn’t matter, because you’d look great in any style.”

“Oh barf!” Chloe exclaimed. “Make them stop being so in love!”

“Thanks sweetie, I love you too, even before you put in any hair-products,” Luka replied loudly and dramatically so Chloe couldn’t block his voice out. “ _Mwah!_ ”

“EWW!!!”

“Uh, Marinette?” Max asked.

“Yeah?”

“You’re still standing…”

“O-Oh! Well, I got side-tracked. I just wanted to say that we should hand out more Miraculous to people we trust to join this group. Any suggestions?”

“Juleka, definitely,” Luka said immediately.

“And Rose! Those two will be a dream team for sure!” Alix cheered.

“Marc and Nathaniel seem like a good duo,” Kim suggested. “They work well together.”

“Oh _great,_ we don’t need more gross couples on this team,” Chloe groaned. But no one else seemed to agree with her.

“Well then, it’s decided! Let’s expand the Miraculous team!”

*

After the meeting, Adrien and Luka walked home together, hand in hand.

“It’s been a wild month,” Luka said, swinging their hands back and forth. “So much has happened. Some good, some bad. And it’s weird knowing that we don’t have to worry about Akumas anymore, no offence.”

“My dad’s a bastard so it’s fine,” Adrien said easily. It was getting less difficult to bash his dad and admitting that he truly was an awful person, blood-related or not. He wasn’t going to visit him in prison for a long time, and if he ever did it wouldn’t be alone. He couldn’t face that man by himself, and he knew that Luka wouldn’t mind going with him if he asked. “I’m glad he can’t hurt anyone anymore. And that my mother isn’t even dead. It’s just weird getting used to the idea that one day she might be around again. I already grieved enough the first time she died, and she might die again anyway.”

“Hey, she might not.”

“Yeah, but it’s ok Luka. I’m not like my dad, obsessing over bringing her back. I trust that the doctors will try their best, and maybe we’ll find a Miraculous that can help, but only if it isn’t an abuse of their power. I’ve already accepted that I might not ever see her again, and while of course I’m not ok with that, one day I will be. I’m not going to let it poison my mind.”

“And I’ll always be here, when you need me. So don’t try to handle everything yourself.”

Adrien nodded and kissed Luka on the cheek softly. “I know, Luka. You’ve already done so much for me so of course I know that. Even when I was Chat Blanc, you were able to get through to me when no one else could. I felt awful, Luka. I felt so powerful and wanted to destroy the world, but then you flew in like some kind of superhero and saved me again. The real prince here is you.”

“And you’ll always be my kitten,” Luka replied back in a monotone.

Adrien’s face immediately blossomed a bright red, and he broke away. “It’s not fair that you can say those things with a straight face!”

“Haha, sorry, sorry. But truly, Adrien, I’m happy that I was able to get through to you. I was never afraid, though. Chat Blanc wasn’t such a bad guy—he was just sad and needed someone to be there for him. And I’m glad it was me. Plus I liked the white look.”

“Argh, but I can hardly remember what I looked like as Chat Blanc! Just what I felt like!”

“Trust me, you looked cool. Kind of cute, too.”

“And there you go, giving compliments without a single blush.”

“The powers of asexuality make me strong indeed. Honestly, you should have seen me try and give compliments to people last year. Like how do I tell someone that they have a nice melody to them without sounding weird? So I had to learn generic compliments. In other words, it’s you that’s cute. I mean, not saying that your body isn’t cute because that’s just an insult but…”

“Luka it’s ok! I get what you meant, and that the lack of physical attraction to anyone makes it confusing sometimes. But it’s ok, you can always just say what you actually think, not generic stuff.”

“Alright… Adrien, I’m glad that your tune is lighter now, and I like being around you. You’re the golden star among a sea of silver stars, and I want to help you keep shining brighter and brighter.”

Adrien covered his face again. “And yet somehow this makes me feel more mushy than your ease with flirting. I love you so much, but you keep turning me into jelly and I can’t stand how adorable you are.”

“Wow, and now who’s being adorable?”

The two managed to walk home, even while trying to one-up each other in their little contest to praise each other the most. Luka won, inevitably, but Adrien sure as hell gave him a run for his money.

They settled into bed together, side by side, and like this everything felt right in the world. The world had nearly ended, but their love for each other had survived and had bloomed after the entire event. And no friends had been lost along the way, and everyone seemed happier than ever, asides from those who shalt not be named.

All in all, both Adrien and Luka couldn’t have imagined for a better outcome than this. They were excited for the future, for the next wave of Miraculous holders, and to uncover the secrets to each one. And they would do it all together, as one.

And maybe one day, in the far future, they’d get married. They’d adopt some cats from the shelter, and a lizard because snakes were too dangerous around cats. And maybe they’d explore the big wide world together.

But for now they were just happy to be young, and in the same bed, under the same roof and rocking to sleep via the gentle waves pressing up against the boat. And they dreamt, side by side, of new beginnings, and of their newfound love, and all that awaited them on the horizon.

Tomorrow would be a new day, and they’d get through it together.

Side by side.

Until world’s end. For a second time. And much more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y’all for joining me on this journey! I wrote this in literally two days (and edited in four), and it’s 15000+ words! To be fair I’m bedridden (not the virus, it’s something else and I’m better now) and literally don’t have much else to do, but the fact that I finished the fic in two days is a feat. 
> 
> I haven’t finished writing a fic in literal years. Maybe I’ll see y’all again in another fic! And Lukadrien fans, please write more fics! We need more! I love these two boys so much, they’re adorable and care so much about each other in the show!
> 
> <3


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